The Witch Chronicles
by magickalfantasy
Summary: A Harry Potter/Labyrinth crossover. Sarah grows sick of being haunted by Jareth and decides to cut off all ties between her and the Underground by getting rid of the book. NOT a Sarah/Jareth fanfic.
1. The Beginning

The Witch Chronicles

The Beginning

Sarah walked down the street. Her mind was buzzing with one thought: the little red book that had haunted her for the past 23 years; ever since her experience with the all-too-famous (at least, in her mind) Goblin King. She should have forgotten him long, long, long ago; but she didn't. His enchanting voice haunted her. His soft, silk skin made her cold to the touch. When Sarah finally got back home, her dog was there to greet her as usual. Sarah had never really been married. She had dated people after she had gotten out of her more…awkward state, but she had never truly felt anything close to love for any of them. It was nothing close to what she felt in that final moment when she faced him; the Goblin King.

That was the moment when he was offering her his life, his dreams, and his heart. Sarah didn't know what he meant back then. She was young and naïve. She had only one thing on her mind at that time and that was to rescue Toby. Jareth had been asking too much from her. If Sarah had stayed with Him, She would have had to leave her life behind her. All of her effort and hard work would have been in vain and she couldn't let that happen. When Sarah came out of her thoughts, she realized she was still standing by the door so she walked to the kitchen table and reached into her purse for the small bag of green powdery candy that she had bought on her outing. She dipped her finger in the green powder and licked it off. In the next second, she gagged and spit it out as quickly as possible.

"Ew, what is this stuff?"

Shaking her head, she got up from the table and poured herself a glass of water. As she drank down her water, she tossed the bag of candy backward into the fire. In her attempt to get the taste out of her mouth, she didn't notice the fire turn a bright emerald green color. After she finished drinking her water, Sarah sat down and reached into her purse. She felt around for a few minutes and then pulled out a bright red paperback book titled The Labyrinth. She stared at the book for a long time and became filled with regrets. The book had held her back from so many things for such a long time. For example, she could have learned to get a long better with her stepmother; she could have built a better career instead of settling for a teacher, she could have even started a family of her own. The possibilities were endless.

Sarah took a deep breath and thought of a beautiful castle somewhere in Europe. She had always wished to visit Europe. Maybe, with this book gone, she could finally do it. It was time to let go of the past. It was time to let go of Him. Sarah shut her eyes, and imagined herself in a large library in an ancient but beautiful castle in Europe, and she tossed the little red book backward into the fireplace. As quickly as they came, the green flames disappeared back into red flames. Sarah turned around to check and see if she made it into the fire, and to her surprise, it did. Content with herself, and feeling free of the pull that the book had on her, Sarah fed her dog and walked into the den to sit and warm up.


	2. A Twist in Time

The Witch Chronicles

A Twist in Time

Gabriela woke up early in the morning. She had already started her classes for the new term. She was almost done, it was her sixth year. The sun shown brightly from across the room and Gabby squinted and covered her eyes with her hand. After seeing the gloomy snowy sky, sun was almost blinding, even if it was for a short time.

"Bloody sun." She muttered irritably.

While her eyes were still shaded from the sun, she made her way to the bathroom and flicked on the light switch and went about her daily routine. Angel was a lot bigger than when Gabby bought her and loved to help Gabby in the morning. She was a sweet and beautiful black cat. After Gabby was finally ready to take on the day, she fed Angel and opened the window to let Snowy inside. Snowy flew in through the window with a dead mouse in her beak and hooted proudly at her trophy. Gabby chuckled a little and locked Snowy's cage once the owl was in it.

"Good job." She smiled and walked out of the dormitory.

Her bag was draped over her shoulder and Gabby trotted down the corridor toward the library to study. She didn't have classes today so her goal was to study a lot. Gabby arrived at the library and plopped own in her seat in one of the study rooms. Her favorite spot in the library was right next to the fire. While Gabby was taking out her quills, ink, parchment, and books, the fire turned a bright emerald green color and Gabby's head popped up. Someone was traveling through Floo Powder? That was something new. When no one came through, Gabby stood up curiously and peered over the flames into the fireplace. When she didn't see anyone, she bent down and reached her hand into the green flames to see if someone had fallen and needed help, but she felt no one. She pulled her arm back through, but the fire didn't change. She furrowed her brow and felt around in the fireplace when her hand brushed over something at the bottom of the fireplace. Not knowing what it was, Gabby pulled the thing out and the fire quickly faded into hot, licking flames. Gabby looked curiously at the flames, then the book, then back at the flames and shook her head. Someone was sending a book to the library through Floo Powder.

It was then that Gabby took a better look at the book. She blew off the ashes and flipped the book around in her hands. She noticed that the book was bright red and soft. She then put the book to her nose and inhaled deeply. It smelled like a genuine leather book cover. Gabby opened the book and flipped through it briefly. The pages were yellowed with age and there were scribbles here and there. When she looked at the front cover, she noticed that the book did not come from the library, but that it belonged to a girl named Sarah Williams. Considering the book's age, Gabby assumed that this book could have been a family heirloom and thought to return it to its owner. She waited in the room next to the fire for awhile while studying so she could wait for the owner to come and get it, but no one came. She decided to take a break from studying and find the book's owner.

Gabby walked through the halls and asked around, but nobody knew who this girl was. After an hour or so, Gabby had found her way back to the library and sat down in her favorite spot beside the fireplace. Sarah Williams; that name perplexed her. Gabby took the book out of her bag and stared at it for a few minutes. She wondered what could 

be in this book that made Sarah Williams get rid of it in such an odd way. She opened the book and skimmed through it. It was simply a fairytale. Gabby shook her head, smiled, and began reading the book.

Jareth paced the dorm room back and forth. Why had he come to this place again? It was another false alarm; that's right. He'd thought a wish had come from here, but when he arrived, no one was around. When he tried to go back, though, his magic was blocked, although not all of it. He could still use most of his magic, but he couldn't go back to the Underground. That was when he got caught.

"Why aren't you in your class young man?"

Jareth jumped slightly at the unexpected intrusion into his thoughts, and then he saw a woman coming toward him. He thought that it would be best if he made up a disguise and walked swiftly behind a tree before the woman could get close enough to see him. In attempt to disguise himself, he made himself look like a small child, as he assumed that this was some sort of school. When the woman appeared behind the tree, she looked very stern, and yet, surprised at the same time

"Well then, don't you know where you're supposed to be?"

Jareth shook his head.

"You're a new student?" It was more of a statement than a real question. Jareth nodded his head.

"Come with me. What's your name?"

Jareth was silent for a moment.

"Jareth…King."

"Well, Mr. King, follow me and we'll get you a list of the classes you are to take."

Jareth followed the woman and while they walked, he started thinking of a way to get back to the Labyrinth. He was a stranger here and he didn't like that at all.

(Later)

"Mr. King, we seem to have a problem. You see, your registration did not seem to go through. We'll need to owl your parents some registration papers for them to fill out in order for you to become a registered student at Hogwarts."

The professor kept on talking, but the Goblin King was no longer paying attention. That was it! An owl! Perhaps he could change into an owl and vent his power through that. But if it didn't work, Jareth could injure himself badly, which was a bad idea because he was not at home and could not get treatment. Therefore, he tried to think of another way. This woman had said something about family. Jareth was the king; he did not have a person to do those things, he did them himself. Suddenly an idea struck him; King Oberon, the High King of all things underground. Why hadn't he had this idea before? As Jareth came out of his reverie, he noticed that the professor had stopped talking and was looking at him strangely.

"Are you feeling ok? If not, we can send you to the nurse and talk about this later."

"I'm ok." He insisted.

She gave him a quizzical look but ended the conversation quickly anyway. Perhaps he needed to lie down.

"As I was saying, for now we'll keep you here at Hogwarts. We don't turn away students in need. But if your registration fails to go through one more time, we'll have to 

send you elsewhere. For now though we have an unused room that we can give you until you get sorted into a house. Now, I'll take these and owl them and a house elf will show you to your room.

Jareth nodded and stood up abruptly when a small goblin-like creature popped up in front of him.

"Dobby will lead you to your room, Sir!"

The little creature, Dobby, he supposed walked out of the office with Jareth following close behind. Now, he just needed to get a hold of the High King in hopes to inquire of what to do. Dobby led Jareth through spiraling staircases, and then arrived at a portrait of a knight. He looked a bit like Jareth's most trusted knight, Sir Didymus except that this one was a bit taller.

"This is Sir's room!" Dobby said, proudly, puffing out his chest.

"It's a portrait. How am I to get inside?"

For a moment, Dobby looked confused then realized that the student needed a password. So Dobby, being the wise little house elf he was, turned toward the portrait and said "Selkie Whisker!" The portrait opened up to reveal a lavish room for a king with the colors red, green, blue, and yellow decorated throughout the room. There was a large bed, a fireplace, three couches, and a coffee table sitting in the midst of them. The bed had a canopy with curtains drawn around it. Dobby stared at the king's reaction and grinned, then walked out quietly as the portrait closed behind him.


	3. The Summons

After the goblin king was sure he was alone, he transformed back into his older, more mature self, and felt his stomach growling.  
"Just wonderful." He muttered under his breath. He would never be able to summon the High King on an empty stomach, for it was a strong spell and would weaken him greatly. He transformed back into a younger more adolescent looking self and opened the portrait door. He was searching around for help, any help at all, and spotted the old teacher that had caught him before. He hated to be dependent on anyone, but he didn't know his way around this place and so far this teacher was the only person he knew. He walked up to the teacher who hadn't yet noticed his presence, and he cleared his throat. The teacher turned toward the sound and caught sight of the young man.  
"May I help you, Mr. King?"  
"Yes Miss-"  
"Professor McGonagall."  
"Professor McGonagall. I'm feeling a bit hungry, but I don't know where I'm supposed to go."  
"Ah, yes, right. Well, lunch has already passed and dinner will not be served for another 3 hours, I'm afraid. Even if the Great Hall were open, I don't want to introduce you to the students until we're ready to choose a house for you. Now I'll need to know your parents' names and home address so I can owl them these forms to sign. In fact, I was heading over to your room now to get this information from you. Anxiety struck a cord in Jareth. He needed to get a plan together soon, but first he needed to get out of this. "Actually, my mother is gone and my father travels a lot and I am usually home alone. It will take me some time to be able to track my father's whereabouts, for he doesn't tell me much. But I will be happy to owl the paperwork to him once I find him." Jareth smirked inwardly as the lie ran smoothly out of his mouth. Professor McGonagall thought this through thoroughly then nodded her head.  
"Alright, I suppose that will do for now. But make sure he knows that he must find time to come to the school and speak to me as soon as he possibly can."  
"Yes Madam." He took the papers gratefully and was about to rush off when a stern hand stopped him.  
"I'll send a house elf to your room with food. He'll be at your command so if you need anything, all you need to do is call his name until we get this mess settled." Jareth nodded and was excused. He rushed to his room and set the papers on the coffee table. No sooner had he set the papers down when he heard a little pop and on the table next to him was a large plate of roast chicken appeared on the table before him. He started hearing more pops and quickly took the paperwork off the table before some dish landed on it. Steamed carrots, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, sprouts, butter, gravy, chocolate eclairs, ice creams, apple pie, tea, and some strange thick, orange liquid all appeared on the table before him. He was astounded at such a variety that these students were given. He found an empty plate and goblet and began piling food on it left and right. Being away from the Underground for too long usually had a bad effect on his strength and he had to compensate by eating more food Aboveground because of it. Soon he had devoured all the food on the table and he even drank two pitchers of that strange think orange liquid which he later found out was called pumpkin juice. Once he felt completely energized and refreshed, he heard a pop coming into the room. Itwas that Dobby creature.  
"Mistress says that I am to take care of you until you have been sorted into a house. Dobby will clean up this mess and wishes for Master Jareth to call Dobby whenever he needs assistance." Jareth acknowledged him and let him go about tending to the room. It was two pm now. 2 hours until dinner was to be served to the students of this school. Jareth knew that by then he would need to eat again. When Dobby finished tending to the room, he popped out and Jareth was finally alone.  
He sat on his bed and cleared his mind, for his mind had to be completely focused on the task at hand. Once he felt sure that his mind was cleared, he began searching his mind for some link, any link, that would connect him to the Underground, even if it were a small one. He finally found one and mentally grabbed on to the link. He began to chant a summons to the High King. It only took a few moments, but to the goblin king it took ages until he could feel a commanding presence in the room. The High King was generous and let Jareth come out of his meditative state. He could tell that the goblin king had worn himself out quickly but this did not phase King Oberon one bit.  
"Why have you called me here, King Jareth, and why this place?" Jareth took a moment to compose himself then stood up on wobbling legs to bow to the king of all kings.  
"My Lord, I have come bearing a problem."  
"Well, come out with it, then, I haven't got all day."  
"My Lord, I was informed by my goblins that there was a wished away here, but the place is protected by so much magic that I couldn't find the wisher. I ended up lost and had to disguise myself as a student, but I am unable to leave the grounds. I thought that maybe the magic protecting the school was what was keeping me in but if that were true, i wouldn't have been able to get onto the grounds in the first place. But then I thought it was a false alarm, but if it were a false alarm, I would have been able to return to the Underground." King Oberon thought this over carefully. The contract of the Labyrinth was very specific. False alarms are what happens when a goblin misunderstands a spoken word and the goblin king is allowed to return to the underground. If he was not able to return then someone had indeed wished someone away and he wasn't allowed to leave until he claimed his prize.  
"The contract and rules will be followed. If I go against the Labyrinths wishes, there will be trouble throughout the underground. You are to stay here until you find the wisher and the wished away." Jareth suspected this, but he needed the High King to reaffirm his thoughts.  
"Then, My Lord, My Father, Father of all of the Underground, I've a request of you."  
"What is it, my son?" He handed his father the papers and the High King laughed a jolly laugh. "I see. So you need an appointed guardian. Well, Jareth, just call me 'Daddy King' from now on." He winked playfully and Jareth managed to crack a smile, but he dared not call the High King such a degrading name. The High King looked carefully through the enrollment papers and once he knew exactly what Jareth would be doing at this school, he signed the papers as "Auberon King," a business name that he used when he was Aboveground, and handed them back to Jareth. "Now, before I take my leave is there anything else?"  
"Yes, two. The Headmistress has requested a meeting with you as soon as your busy business schedule will allow. She expects an owl with the registration papers and an attached note with your most current available time." The High King nodded and summoned a quill and a piece of parchment out of thin air and neatly scrawled a quick note with his signature and handed it to Jareth. "Also, how will I take care of my kingdom when I can't return to the underground?"  
"Titania is perfectly able to take care of the kingdom on her own. I will sit in at your kingdom until your return and will forward any and all paperwork to you immediately as I get it. I will only be there to settle arguments, for it will still be your kingdom and you will still be required to take care of its affairs on your own. You are to do all of your work at the kingdom as well as all work that the professors at this institution require of you. Once you finish your work, ALL of it, he added, you will forward it to me. I will turn in your paperwork for your kingdom and look over your work at school. You will give me any and all reports of progression in your studies so that I may keep an eye on you while you are here." Jareth nodded to the High King. He felt like a child again, but then, in this world, that's exactly what he was. "Also, I am aware of your business in the Aboveground and expect you to tend to that work as well." Jareth nodded again. He had forgotten all about his businesses in the Aboveground. Most Fae in the Underground have some kind of Aboveground business as a legitimate excuse in case they are caught while doing their Aboveground duties, whatever those may be. Jareth began wondering if he would be able to handle all of this new responsibility, but he was a king, and no matter what happened, he would overcome it with the dignity of a king. "Are we understood?"  
"Yes, Father."  
"Good, now if there is nothing else, I will take my leave." He was about to leave when an idea hit him. "Jareth?" Jareth looked up from his thoughts. Oberon tossed him a whistle and winked. "Now if you need me, you may summon me with that rather than using your own strength which is very limited Aboveground. I will periodically bring you Underground food and drink so that you will not...change." Jareth swallowed nervously and nodded. Changing...would be a bad thing. With a nod of his head, Oberon disappeared and Jareth was once again left alone in his room. He dragged his heavy body to his bed and laid down. Summoning his father had taken a toll on his strength and he was thankful that he had eaten before the summons. These were his final thoughts before letting the weariness wash over him and sleep claiming him.


	4. Studying

..::.

Gabby was sitting in the library. She liked to read to herself aloud.  
"But what no one knew, was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl; and he gave her certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the goblins for help! 'Say your right words,' the goblins said, 'and we'll take the baby to the castle, and you will be free!' But the girl knew, that the Goblin King would keep the baby in his castle for ever and ever and ever, and turn it into a goblin! And so the girl suffered in silence. Until one day, when she was tired from a day of housework, and she was hurt by the harsh words of her stepmother, and she could no longer stand it...I can bear it no longer! Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be take this child of mine far away from me! That's not it! Where did she get that rubbish? It doesn't even start with 'I wish!'" Gabby laughed at the little excerpt in the book. "Aww, how cute." She smiled lightly and kept reading. "'Oh Toby, stop it! I wish I really did know the words." She put Toby back i his crib. In the closet a goblin muttered something angrily, but Sarah didn't hear it. She shut off the light and looked to her stepbrother-" A nagging feeling was tugging at Gabby's chest, telling her not to say the words out loud, so Gabby read over the book silently. After getting to the moment where Toby stopped crying, she put her book marker in and closed the book. It was time to take a break from reading. "I wonder what would happen if I really did say the words." There was that nagging feeling again. But this time she ignored it. "I wish the goblin king would take me away...right now." The lights flickered but otherwise nothing happened. "Well that was boring." She went to reach for her book but noticed that it was time for lunch. "Hn, the book can wait until later. Maybe I'll go out to the grounds to read the next few pages. She grabbed her bag and followed some of the other students who opted to take a study break to the Great Hall and sat at her house table.

She sat down under a tree, surrounded by textbooks, parchment, ink wells, and new quills for when the ones she was using broke. She had opted not to wear her school uniform today since she had no classes, she wore a denim skirt with an emerald green shirred rosette top. The weather was beginning to get cold now so she also had a zip front leatherette jacket stuffed in her bag in case it got cold. On her feet were a pair of gathered buckle strap booties and her accessories included a rhinestone snake ring, a chain necklace with a large silver lock and four white diamond hearts arrange around the keyhole to look like a four leaf clover. Next to it was a matching key with the same diamond design. She had a pair of white fingerless fishnet gloves and finally in her hair she wore green leopard sequin kitty hair clips. She laid on her stomach, supporting her upper body with her left hand while she scribbled essays and notes on the parchment. The little red book had long been off her mind. She had a ton of homework to finish and it would take Saturday and Sunday to finish. She didn't have time to read. She was interested in two chosen career fields and was taking a full load of classes because of it. She was taking Advanced Charms, Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts, Advanced Potions, Advanced Herbology, Advanced Transfiguration, as well as holding down a job at Gladrags Wizardwear, a clothing store in Hogsmeade, which gave her as well as other older students leeway to leave campus on days that were not designated Hogsmeade trips. But today she had the day off for her classes and her job and was going to take advantage of the fact to finish her homework and get as far ahead as possible so she could take more hours at work. She took a deep breath and moved the newly dried parchment into her pile of finished homework then decided to take a break and fell forward onto her blank parchment. Why did she have to take all advanced classes? She was in way over her head. She took a deep breath then remembered the food that she had snagged from the kitchens on her way to the grounds. They had given her a weaved basket with some cloth napkins. It was small enough to fit into her bag and contained some guacamole, a couple of bananas, some cheese, turkey lunch meat., whole wheat bread, mustard, a canteen of milk, sliced oranges, tuna, romaine lettuce, tortilla chips, and some vanilla yogurt along with Gabby's favorite spread, Nutella. Gabby smiled and took a fork out of the basket and nibbled on the tuna and sipped on the milk. She spread some Nutella on the whole wheat bread on the side of her tuna snack. This would be enough to refresh her mind for now. She put away the rest of the food for when she had another brain drain. She continued sipping on her milk and nibbling on her snacks here and there while she worked on her homework until dinner came. Instead of going inside, she decided to take advantage of the rest of the light. The house elves had packed enough food to keep her satisfied and were still refilling it, so she opted out of dinner and simply continued to study with what light she had left. It seemed like hours and hours until the sun began setting but it was only two hours. Gabby pulled on her leather jacket and walked back to the castle. She didn't want to be caught on the grounds after curfew. While walking inside, she didn't pay attention to where she was walking and bumped into someone, dropping her bag on the floor and scattering her belongings everywhere.  
"Oh, no! I'm sorry!" She began picking up her books, quills, and other things when the person that she bumped into bent down to help her. His hair was platinum blond styled in the mullet fashion, with a modern twist. His skin was pale and ethereal, almost as if he wasn't a part of this world at all. He helped Gabby pick up her belongings and gave her a light bow.  
"No, no, I should be the one apologizing, you see, I'm in a bit of a hurry and I really wasn't paying attention to where I was going." His mannerisms were so perfect, not even the purest blooded families, hers included, taught court manners like that anymore. Gabby was flustered just by his mannerisms, his looks were a plus, and he even looked her age, which was the icing on the cake.  
"Um...a-are you a new student?"  
"Something of the sort."  
"have you been sorted into a house?"  
"Not yet."  
"Well, you probably will be soon. Well, I need to go back to my room and study, I guess I'll be seeing you around then!" A light pink blush covered her cheeks and she walked off to her house she got to her room and fell back on her bed and slid her bag across the room. Then she remembered the little red leather bound book and got up. She had left it in her room after she found it so that she wouldn't be tempted to skip out on her homework because of it. But after studying all day, she felt that she deserved a break and picked the book from her desk then headed back to her bed to start reading it. It was a short book and she finished it in a matter of hours but it instantly became her favorite one. When she finished her book, most of the rest of the girls in the dorm room were already asleep so Gabby opted to turn in for the night. 


	5. Getting to Know You

The next morning, she awoke and once again went about her daily routine. She wondered when the new student would be introduced to the student body and headed off to breakfast in case he would be introduced that day. She couldn't get his eyes out of her head. Two different colored eyes, one brown and one blue, she had never seen anything like it before; and his manners were to die for. She'd never met a person who was so chauvinistic before. Her heart sped up as she thought about him. He wasn't wearing a school uniform yet, and she wondered if he even had one. Then again, not many people were wearing uniforms yesterday, Gabby included. Absentmindedly, she walked to her house table. She had work all day, beginning at 8:00am and it was already 7:00am. If the new student was going to be introduced, he would be introduced right at the beginning of breakfast, around 7:30. Then Gabby and to rush off the grounds (easily a 15 minute run), where she could apparate to work and be just barely on time. While walking to breakfast, she checked her bag. She was going to need to do some homework during her lunch and break times at work, then do even more homework when she got back to her common room for dinner. She had her homework finished through to Wednesday. She had packed her lunch basket, her Saturday and Sunday homework, some touch up makeup, extra quills, ink, parchment, etc., and her Charms and Transfiguration textbooks. She also had her wand, a muggle pen, and a muggle notebook. She did miss home sometimes, that was when she used those two items. And, well, it's nice to use a writing utensil that doesn't run out of ink so easily. She had a day off work tomorrow and planned on using it to work on next Saturday and Sunday's homework. If she played it right, she might actually have all of next week's homework finished by Monday evening. And then she had to work on the next assigned homework. But she was ahead of her classes, and that was a good thing because it meant that she could do the rest of her homework as she received it. She knew that was wishful thinking, but it didn't hurt to try. Her schedule was always jam packed.

Once her mental checklist was complete, she checked the time and saw that breakfast would be starting officially soon, so she headed in, grabbed some toast and jam, and ate it while she waited. By the time 7:40 rolled around, she had decided that the mystery student would obviously not be introduced today. She had 20 minutes to get to work so she grabbed her bag and dashed out of the Great Hall, only to, once more, bump into the mystery student. This time her things didn't fly everywhere and that was a relief to her since picking it all up would mean she would be late. And her boss didn't like it when she was late.

"We really should stop meeting this way." The boy smirked and Gabby blushed.  
"S-sorry. On my way to work. I'm going to be late. She began running toward the door and the male student trotted along next to her."  
"May I come along? I won't be introduced to the student body for awhile and I really have nothing to do." Gabby was sure it was a lie, considering he had his own knapsack on his shoulder, but Gabby appreciated it and nodded.  
"S-sure." She picked up speed and grabbed the boy's hand. She wasn't sure if he would be able to keep up with her speed. "S-sorry, but I'm really running late here." The mystery guy let go of her hand and ran ahead of her. Gabby was floored but kept on running. He was the first person at this school who could keep up with her. Finally when they were outside of the grounds, Gabby grabbed his hand again and a _pop_ was heard and the two were gone.

They appeared outside of Gladrags Wizardwear. The boy lost his footing and fell. Gabby hunched down next to the boy.  
"Oh no! Are you ok? Haven't you apparated before?" She was gasping for breath but was more worried about the boy at the moment. She reached into the picnic basket in her bag and took out a pint sized milk carton. She opened it and handed it to the boy then took off a piece of a chocolate bar that the house elves had snuck into her basket for her. She handed the boy the milk and the chocolate then put the picnic basket on a nearby table. It was where Gabby generally took her lunches; a metal table with a chair and an umbrella with a lovely view of all of Hogsmeade. Go ahead, eat as much as you want. I didn't see you at breakfast so go ahead and have some. The boy shook his head. He had partially recovered now, so he stood up straight and handed her back the basket.  
"I can't take a lady's meal." Gabby blushed.  
"Um, no, really, it's no problem. It refills itself, so feel free to eat as much as you'd like. It helps to make friends with the kitchen staff." Jareth nodded and took the basket from her.  
"I thank you." Gabby smiled.  
"No problem. Just lemme know when you've had your fill and I'll put it away."  
Once Gabby had gone inside, the boy sat down. He was actually weaker than he'd shown. The run had drained his strength greatly. King Oberon had brought Jareth a large amount of Underground food that morning and it had filled him up, then right as the High King left, more food had appeared on the table, this tine from the kitchens. King Oberon brought Jareth just enough food to keep him from changing for the next week, but not enough to fill Jareth up, and so he ate until his strength was renewed and he was full. But that short run from the castle and past the gate had done him in, then the sudden squeezing of his lungs inside his body had nearly made him sick to his stomach, and he had to do all in his power to keep from hurling all of the food he'd ingested, including the Underground food, and was thankful when the girl offered the basket, though he was reluctant to take it. He had eaten his fill after a long time and pushed the basket aside.

He let out a deep sigh and laid his head on the cool metal. He was reluctant to go near it, as traces of iron could have been in it, but once he was sure it was safe, he had sat down and relaxed. Then he remembered the knapsack of his paperwork. He had awoken to piles of paperwork, both for his Aboveground businesses and for his kingdom. He separated the paperwork into coordinating files and stuck them into a knapsack that his father had given him. He reluctantly took out the first file and looked over it. It would take a long time to go through all of the paperwork and decide whether or not to sign his name on something. He couldn't imagine doing all of this paperwork plus all of the work that these teachers would expect of him. Jareth closed the file and tapped impatiently on the table beside him. Why exactly had he wanted to come with this girl? He had only met her twice and he didn't even know her name; then he remembered. After only two days in this place, he was already feeling trapped in it. Cabin fever; that's what it was called. He had nothing to keep him busy other than his work, and even in his kingdom, concentrating on one thing for too long, work related or otherwise, made him feel anxious. The difference, however, was that in his kingdom, he could come and go as he pleased. So when the option to go somewhere other than the castle was provided, he had jumped to it without thinking. But the girl could have said no; however, she didn't. He wanted to know why, so he put the file away and decided to return the picnic basket. He grabbed his knapsack, stood up, and walked into the store.

..::..

Gabby was still out of breath when she walked into work.  
"Torres, you're late."  
"What? No I'm not, I'm two minutes early!"  
"Can you be ready for work in two minutes?" Gabby didn't reply.  
"Exactly, you're late. Now get back there and get ready for work."  
"Yessir." She muttered. When she went to the back of the store, she put away her things and clipped on her name tag. Her boss didn't really require uniforms at work which made Gabby feel better since she hated wearing her school uniform as it were. She checked her makeup, put on a smile, pulled her hair into a ponytail, and punched her time card. When she finished, she went to the front of the counter, prepared her register, and then went about her business as usual. She arranged merchandise, checked inventory, and handled some customers. After awhile, Gabby looked at the time and saw that the mysterious boy had still not come in from outside. She thought that maybe he had gone and looked around Hogsmeade for awhile, but she remembered that she had told him to bring the basket back to her and she hoped that he wouldn't just leave it sitting there if he'd left. She sighed and shook her head but brushed it off. She was working a twelve hour shift today and wouldn't be off work until 7:00pm that evening, which meant that she wouldn't be back at Hogwarts until about 7:30, unless she had decided to go on foot rather than apparate. Her stomach churned slightly and she sighed. She was planning on eating while she worked that morning since she didn't really have a decent breakfast.

Gabby heard the bell jingle on the door but turned when her boss called her name. The customer could wait.  
"Gabriela! Come see me please!"  
She turned to the customer's general direction. "I'll be right with you. Coming!" She called to the back. She disappeared into the back room and spoke with her boss for a few minutes then went back out to the front to attend to the customer. "Can I help you?" She asked, after finishing the list she had written down with her pen and notepad. She looked up from her list and saw that the customer turned out to be the mysterious boy who had come with her to Hogsmeade. "Oh, well, hello there. I thought you had gone off to look around Hogsmeade." The boy handed her the picnic basket and flashed her a smile.  
"Gabriela, is it? I apologize, we have not yet been formally introduced. You may address me as Jareth King."  
"Would you mind if I just called you Jareth?"  
"Not at all." Of course he would mind! he was to be called "His Majesty," at the very least! But, he was not in the Labyrinth. He was here, in...Hogsmeade...with Gabriela. "And you are...?"  
"Gabriela Torres. But please just call me Gabby. The only people who address me as Gabriela are my parents and their...business associates. Even my teachers address me as Gabby or Miss Torres." Jareth nodded.  
"As you wish, Gabby." Gabby smiled and excused herself to put the picnic basket into her locker. When she came back Jareth was browsing the clothing.  
"Can I help you with something?"  
"Yes, you see, I seem to have forgotten my uniforms back at home, and unfortunately they cannot be sent to me. Could you suggest a place to buy them?"  
"Well, if you want quality, you would go to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Unfortunately that's in Diagon Alley, all the way in England. But Mr. Cliodyne, he's the man who runs this shop, just happens to have a mutual agreement with Madam Malkin. He can do your robe fitting and send the measurements to Madam Malkin so she can make you some robes. They can be in by tomorrow. Would that be alright?"  
"Yes, please. I won't be introduced to the school until Tuesday, if all goes according to plan, at least."  
"Perfect. I'll go talk to him now, if you can wait here for a few moments, please." Gabby once more disappeared to the back room and came back with a stern looking man in toe. "Mr. Cliodyne, this is Jareth King. He'll be a Sixth Year this term." The man looked at Jareth and seemed to be sizing him up.  
"Are you transferring?"  
"No, you see, I've been homeschooled and my father felt it best that I learn to interact with other people to create future business ties."  
"I see. Well, come to the back, then. Gabby, try a 42/44 chest and a 32/34 waist." Gabby nodded and went to a clothing rack to pick out some pants. After she gathered the pants, shirt, and robe from their respective racks, she brought them to the back where Mr. Cliodyne had already had Jareth undress and standing on a stool. She handed the items to Mr. Cliodyne, and tried not to stare at Jareth's amazing chest, instead, she turned tail and went back to her work, trying whatever she could to keep her mind off the sculpted abs and muscular body. She was sure that Jareth was laughing at her now. Why was she acting like such a lovesick schoolgirl? She'd just met the guy!

It didn't take long for Jareth and Mr. Cliodyne to do the measuring.  
"Finished already?" She asked, after making sure she was finished blushing. Mr. Cliodyne grunted and handed her a piece of parchment with Jareth's measurements. She looked over it and read it through out loud. "Chest: 43." Mr. Cliodyne nodded. "Waist: 32." After getting the next approval she went on. "Neck: 15.5. and Arm Length: 34.5." Mr. Cliodyne nodded twice more and Gabby rolled up the parchment and went in the back to get the store owl. When she brought the Tawny Owl out, she tied the parchment to it's foot and let it go out the window. "You know where to go." She said to it, before it flitted away. When she turned back, Mr. Cliodyne had gone back to his office and Jareth was waiting to speak to her.  
"May I ask what that was about?"  
"Hn, what? Oh, you mean the measurements? Mr. Cliodyne has terrible handwriting. The only reason I got this job was because Madam Malkin approved it. If I can read the writing then so can she. She won't allow him to send her anything unless I've proofread it first."  
"And if you can't read it?"  
"I either make him rewrite it, or have him dictate it to me while I write it myself." Jareth nodded and went back to the store. "Need anything else?"  
"I'll just browse for awhile. How long will you be here?"  
"I'm here until 7." She grumbled. Jareth nodded. "Can you suggest a place where I can do my work in peace and quiet?"  
"Well, there's a tea shop not far from here called Madam Puddifoot's. I wouldn't suggest it though. It's quiet, but it's frilly to the point of tacky. Regular patrons are really just couples going out on a date. Aude Sapere is a nice little book store with a lounging area. You can buy some refreshments at one of the restaurants around here and eat in the lounge area of the book store for a relaxing atmosphere. If you'd like, you could also sit at the table outside and do your work there. Ultimately it's up to you. There are other places around here, you can look around and see what suits your fancy."  
"Well, I will take those into consideration. I trust that you'll let me know when my robes have arrived?"  
"Of course." Gabby smiled and Jareth bowed slightly and left.

. that day.::.

A group of giggling girls walked into the store.  
"Sneaking out of class again, ladies?" Gabby asked her fellow Slytherins. The two seventh years feigned shock.  
"Never!"  
"What possibly made you come to that conclusion?" They all laughed.  
"We just wanted to come visit you at work, that's all." The first seventh year winked as they turned their heels to leave.  
"Enjoy your time off grounds!" She called to the seventh years as they waved their good-byes. "Next please." She dinged a bell as the next person in line came up to the counter. Gabby rang up three items and smiled. " "2 Galleons, 16 Sickles, and 18 Knuts, please." A few more customers came in, but ultimately the went on uneventfully. She took a break, later on she took her lunch, and had two more breaks throughout the day. She sold a few items and looked around the shop. She was thinking about taking advantage of her employee discount, since she would be getting her paycheck soon. Finally 7:00 came around and Gabby was able to punch out for the evening. She walked outside and noticed that Jareth was sitting at the table, reading some paperwork. She tapped on his shoulder and smiled at him.  
"You're still here? I expected you to be back at school by now." Jareth shrugged casually and put his work away.  
"I needed fresh air, the castle was suffocating me."  
"I see we have something in common. Well, I'm getting ready to head back to the school, I was going to apparate, but considering your earlier reaction, would you like to join me for a walk?" She smiled slightly and pulled her bag onto her shoulder.  
"If you don't mind the company."  
"I don't mind at all." They walked in silence for a few moments.  
"You're not from Europe, are you?" Gabby blushed.  
"You could tell, huh?"  
"You speak different slang and the accent is faint, but you do have one."  
"Well, my accent was was worse 6 years ago. I guess I still need to work on it though."  
"Well, where are you from, then?" Of course Jareth knew. He had collected wished away children from all over and could recognize an accent quickly. he also had business relations from all over the world.  
"The United States."  
"I see, and do you like it?"  
"N-not really, actually. I prefer Europe much more. It's away from my parents."  
"You have problems with your mother and father?"  
"Things that I'd rather not talk about."  
"As you wish." They talked to one another throughout the entire walk and got back to the school around 8:00pm.  
"I guess you won't be coming to dinner, then?"  
"Does that upset you?"  
"Uh, no, not really." It was a lie, it did bother her. But he couldn't sit at a table that wasn't his own house so she understood. "Well, I guess this is where we split up. It was nice to meet you, Jareth." Gabby smiled and walked into the Great Hall then sat at her house table, first thing she did was scarf down 2 plates of food. Then she looked around the Great Hall. She hadn't seen that blond boy since they'd parted ways in the hallway. He had been occupying her mind. She'd only eaten breakfast and a couple of sandwiches at lunch. She was spoiled, she supposed. The students at Hogwarts got fed so much that just a simple thing like a sandwich didn't hold her appetite. She had gotten her pay today, but she hadn't gotten a chance to count it. She took out her coin purse and counted out the coins. 14 Galleons, 5 sickles, and 27 Knuts. She smiled to herself and put them back. That should keep her for awhile. She finally finished picking at her third plate of food then stood up and headed back to her Common Room. She had some homework to finish for her classes next Saturday. When she got to her Common Room she found a cozy spot by the fireplace and laid out her homework. She had a half finished essay for Advanced Charms that she wasn't looking forward to finishing. She pulled out all of her homework and looked it over. She still had her transfiguration homework to do but then she would be set for all of the upcoming weeks' homework. She had Herbology tomorrow and no work, and she was looking forward to a day off from homework. Or rather, a day off if she could finish her Charms and Transfig. homework tonight. It would probably be a bad idea to stay up late since she had a class first thing in the morning, but she shrugged it off and just wanted to get it over with. Once she finished her Charms essay, she looked over her parchment and measured it. "Perfect." She nodded approval at her homework and moved on to her Transfiguration homework which was 6 inches wide and 10 inches long. She sighed and began.

_Animagus, also known as Animagi. There are two ways to transfigure a human into an animal. Ordinary Transfiguration of turning a human into an animal results in the human having an animal brain, and thus, unable to recall what he or she is supposed to be doing. On the other hand, retaining one's human mental capacities while taking on an animal's form is a highly advanced form of Transfiguration, and can go horribly wrong. Consequently, those who can master this Transfiguration are quite rare in the wizarding world; they are referred to as Animagi. More precisely, an Animagus is a witch or wizard who has the ability to Transfigure herself/himself into an animal at will while retaining her/his mental powers, such as the ability to think as a human._

_The Animagus Transfiguration is performed mentally. It is possible for another witch or wizard who is sufficiently knowledgeable to force an Animagus to Transfigure from animal shape back into human shape. An Animagus' physical condition as an animal reflects his or her physical condition in human shape. An Animagus retains his or her clothing, spectacles, and so on throughout the transformation, disappearing when the Animagus is in animal shape but reappearing when human shape is resumed. Possibly the Transfiguration process moves the clothing into wizard space while the Animagus is in animal shape, but we simply don't know the details of how this works. In some cases items such as spectacles may affect the animal's appearance. An Animagus appears to have some ability to communicate with true animals, although it is not known whether an Animagus must be in Animagus form to do so. The Improper Use of Magic Office maintains a register of all known Animagi. In the books this has been referred to only as "the register"; its formal name is unknown. The register keeps a record of, for each known Animagus:_

_the kind of animal that Animagus transforms into_

_distinguishing markings_

_There are penalties for being an Animagus and failing to register with the Improper Use of Magic Office. It is not known precisely what the legal consequences are for an unregistered Animagus._

_Known Animagi and Their Forms:_

_Aesalon, Falco_

_falcon_

_Cliodna (a.k.a. Cliodne)_

_bird_

_le Fey, Morgan (a.k.a. Morgana)_

_bird_

_McGonagall, Minerva_

_tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes, matching her own spectacles_

She set her quill down and stretched then looked at the time. She'd been doing her homework for 5 hours now. The common room was completely empty and Gabby was the only one left. She had been at work all day and she was tired so she decided to go up to her dormitory for the night. She needed to wake up early for classes.

. day.::.

Gabriela Reibling; there was something about her, but Jareth couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something important that he should know. He paced his room, thinking. His work sent from his father lay neglected on the table. Two piles of papers at least two feet high. And that was only 3 days' worth. Thus, is the responsibility of a king. And this was how King Oberon happened upon the young king. Pacing his room, work unfinished. King Oberon frowned and cleared his throat.  
"Ahem." Jareth jumped slightly. The High King had a great air of power, but could mask it well if he wanted to. Jareth turned and faced the high king with a bow. "Arise Jareth." Jareth stood up and faced the king. "Explain yourself." For a moment, Jareth wasn't sure what the high king meant, then he looked around the room and his eyes went straight for the piles of work yet to be finished.  
"I've had my mind elsewhere, My Lord." Was all he could say. He might as well tell the truth, the high king would know if he were lying.  
"What could possibly be more important than your work? You are a king. We had this discussion. Being stuck Aboveground is not a vacation from your job."  
"Yes My Lord."  
"It's time for my meeting with your Deputy Headmistress. You are to stay here and do your work, and when I come back, all of this had better be finished. If you can't keep up with your regular duties, how are you supposed to keep up with your new school duties as well?"  
"I've been out of school for a millennia."  
"And now you're not."  
"Yes, My Lord." Jareth bowed as the High King left the portrait hole. Jareth sighed and sat at his desk. He looked over his paperwork, put his signature here, initialed there, wrote some things, made a decree, his usual kingly duties. After he was finished with his kingdom's work, he began work on his businesses. Often, it was the same thing as running a kingdom so it came second nature to him. Hours later, he set the last page on his desk and stretched, then sat back on the couch. Just as he had begun to relax, the portrait opened and in walked King Oberon and Professor McGonagall.  
"Jareth, your professor and I have come to a decision. You're late on your classwork because of the mix up with your papers. So you'll be sorted tomorrow morning at breakfast."  
"And what of my homework?"  
"If I get you started on your homework you'll be too far behind, so you'll be cleared of all of the homework that you missed. I trust that you won't disappoint us."  
"Yes, Professor." Jareth hated being humble. He was a king, humility didn't suit him. Professor McGonagall nodded.  
"Mr. King, I'll show you out, if you'd like." She said, heading toward the door.  
"No, that won't be necessary, Madam, Jareth can do it just fine." She nodded and left.  
"Don't make me regret this, Jareth." King Oberon said, disappearing with Jareth's paperwork. Jareth sighed and sat on his bed. It was getting late. The meeting that his father had with the Professor took all day. He looked at the time and decided to sleep. His father would send Jareth his paperwork regardless of if he were awake or not. Now what was that things name again? It was very similar to a goblin. Oh, yes.  
"Dobby!"  
"Yes, Sir!" Dobby said eagerly, popping into the room.  
"Put out this fire."  
"Yes Sir!" Dobby put out the fire and Jareth went to bed.

. day.::.

Jareth woke up to something shaking him.  
"Sir! Sir! You must wake up or you'll be late! Late!"  
"Get off me!" He shoved the little house elf away and looked at him. "What are you still doing here?"  
"Dobby must show you to the Great Hall."  
"Wait outside."  
"Yes Sir!" Dobby popped out.  
"Bloody house elf." He snapped his fingers and a new garment appeared on him. It was nothing like he'd owned before. He received his uniform from Dobby who had gotten it from Gabriela the day before. Hogwarts students are required to wear plain black work robes, a plain black pointed hat, and a black winter cloak with silver fastenings. He looked over himself in the mirror and made a mental list of things that he could have worn that day instead, then left the portrait hole to see Dobby waiting for him.  
"Come, Sir! Dobby will show you the way!" Jareth rolled his eyes and followed Dobby into an empty part of the castle. There was a door at the end where he could hear chattering and laughing amongst the students. "Professor says to wait here until she comes to get you." Jareth nodded and Dobby disappeared. Jareth waited and heard the chattering calm down, but he couldn't hear what was going on so he waited. McGonagall came back out with her lips pursed.  
"Come with me, Mr. King." Jareth followed. The Great Hall lived up to its name. It was spacious and grand, and the ceiling was an exact replica of the sky above. He followed Professor McGonagall to a stool with a ratty old hat atop it. The school sat and watched the hat before a little tear in the front opened up and the hat bellowed a song.

_"Oh...you may not think I'm pretty  
but don't judge on what you see!  
I'm the smartest hat  
that you will ever meet!  
You're new here, so I'll tell you what I know!_

_Just put me on and I'll reveal  
where I think you'll go!  
There's nothing in your head  
that the Sorting Hat can't see.  
I know more about you  
than there really ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,  
where dwell the mischievous and loyal.  
They're daring, brave, and defiant,  
and unafraid of toil._

_In Hufflepuff, there dwells the understanding,  
if you shall enter there.  
Compassionate, generous, and kind,  
if that is where you belong._

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
if you're astute, and aware.  
Prized on wit and learning,  
you will always find your kind._

_Or perhaps in Slytherin,  
you'll make your real friends.  
Ambitious, cunning, reckless,  
and flourished with pride._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The Great Hall gave the hat a standing ovation, but it ended rather quickly when Professor McGonagall hushed the students. She nodded to Jareth to approach the chair. He did so, and put on the hat, then instantly heard a voice muttering in his ear.  
"Oh...I see, I see. So you've a secret, then? You're not of our world. Well, that makes this diffi-"  
"How do you know that?" He yelled in his head.  
"Ah, ah, no need to shout, Little Kinggy. I know everything about you. It's all here, in your mind. Now, as I was saying, that will make things difficult. Now, why does our family have the pleasure of such a visit? Hm? Ah, I see, I see. So there was a summons."  
"Yes, do you know about it."  
"I can only see what's inside a persons head if I'm on top of it. Hn...cunning, very. Wise, you certainly are, you are a king. Brave, you've conquered many territories in your years. But very, very, very ambitious. But you seem to be, lost. I wonder why. I could dig deeper..."  
"Stop. I know where you're going and I forbid it."  
"You forbid it? But I could look into your mind forever, imagine the things I could learn."  
"Stop. You're in dangerous territory. Now finish your job so I can get off this bloody stool."  
"Oh, dear, I had forgotten we were still in front of the school. Well, alright then. SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted. Jareth took it off and set it on the stool then went to the table that was clapping loudly. He found a seat next to a young woman who seemed to be paying a lot of attention to her homework. She looked up briefly and said hi then went back to her notes. Then she looked back up.  
"Have you gotten your schedule yet?"  
"No."  
"Oh. Well, I have some classes today but I'll be happy to hang out this evening. Would you like me to show you around?"  
"Yes, I would like that." Gabby nodded and began eating her sausage. He, himself pulled a plate and loaded it up with a variety of sausages, eggs, bread, butter, porridge, marmalade, and bacon. Spending so much time in this world made him very weak. Gabby watched him out of the corner of her eye. By the time she had finished her meal, Jareth had already gone through 3 plates and 5 goblets of different drinks. He finally felt re-energized and a lot of the students had been watching him eat. He did have quite an appetite, after all.  
"Would you like me to show you to the Common Room? I have a few minutes before my class starts."  
"Well come with me, then, and I'll show you the Common Room."  
"She'll show you more than that if you get her a drink!" Called a male voice from the table. Gabby rolled her eyes and began walking out. Jareth looked at the giant table at a young man who was laughing the hardest. A blond boy with blue eyes, and Jareth made a note to keep an eye on him. He could be the wisher. He followed Gabby. She was already out of the Great Hall and he caught up with her easily.  
"Who was that young man?"  
"Don't bother with him. He's bad news." Her tone declared that the conversation was over. He knew better than to argue with that tone. Any man who had a working brain knew better than that. He followed Gabby downward. The walls of the castle went from inviting to dark, cold and dreary. It sort of reminded him of his goblins. When Gabby stopped, it was in front of a large statue of a snake. "Pureblood." The snakes eyes flashed red and it hissed, opening up to a large sitting area. The Slytherin common room was a long, low-ceilinged, dungeon-like room filled with skulls and the like. There were high-backed chairs and a carved mantlepiece on the fireplace. The walls were rough stone and the lighting in the room was green. "The 6th year boys' dormitories are that way." She pointed vaguely in the left direction. "It has a sign on it. You should find all of your belongings in there already." She looked at the time and sighed. "I'm going to be late. How would you like to meet in front of the lake in two hours?"  
"Whatever will work for you, Gabby." His voice sounded alluring, like he was singing and Gabby shivered at the sound.  
"Well, alright, I'll see you then." She blushed and left the Common Room with her bag.

.'s POV.::.

Gabby awoke at 7:00am. She groaned and dragged her tired body into the bathroom where she woke herself up with a hot shower. Once she was awake enough to function, she washed and scrubbed her hair three times and then washed her body and shaved. When she was finally out, she took a blow dryer off her charm necklace and bewitched it to run since electricity didn't work at Hogwarts. While her blow dryer was drying her hair, Gabby brushed it out and curled it. She was running late so she quickly did her makeup, then went into the dormitory as everyone was just beginning to wake up. She got dressed in her school uniform, a white shirt, gray skirt, gray knee-high socks, robe, tie, and hat, and grabbed her cloak for good measure, stuffing it in her bag in case she needed it. Then she left the Common Room and headed to breakfast. Breakfast went as it usually did when she actually managed to make it to breakfast. Stupid boys were challenging each other to stupid stunts and stupid girls were fangirling over the best stupid boy, when they weren't fangirling over Draco Malfoy, Gabby sat next to one of the girls who was still willing to speak to her, usually with an empty seat beside her. She piled food onto her plate, eggs, bacon, sausages, rolls, and possibly some toast if she was hungry enough, today she wasn't sure so she left it aside. The low chatter turned into low laughs and games quickly as more students piled into the Great Hall and joined their tables. Between homework and stuffing her face, Gabby hardly noticed Professor McGonagall come up on the stage. It wasn't until the chatter disappeared completely that Gabby even thought to look up.  
"I'm sure you've all heard the rumors about a new student to Hogwarts. They're true. Hogwarts does have a new student. He's transferred here from one of our sister schools. I expect you to welcome him. He is a 6th year student." The Great Hall was silent as Professor McGonagall went to retrieve the new student.  
A few moments later she came back with Jareth. She could feel a light blush on her cheeks and looked straight at her book before anyone could see. The sorting hat sang its song then Jareth sat on the stool and put it on. The Great Hall waited, silently with bated breath. Mostly the girls who all wanted the hot new guy in their house. The teenie boppers' raging hormones practically suffocated Gabby and she rolled her eyes. She couldn't wait to get out of here. The students waited, and waited, and waited. Finally the sorting hat shouted "SLYTHERIN!" Cheers and claps came from the Slytherin table, mostly from the girls, and the new student made his way to the empty seat beside Gabby. When he sat down and Gabby had gotten up some courage, she looked up at him then said hi. She could feel color come back to her cheeks then quickly looked back at her homework. When she'd taken some calming breaths, she looked back up and decided to make small talk with him.  
"Have you gotten your schedule yet?"  
"No." Strike one.  
"Oh. Well, I have a class soon then but we can hang out later. Would you like me to show you around the school?"  
"Yes, I would like that." Gabby smiled and turned back to finish her sausage. She flashed a glance at the new student's breakfast and was surprised at the amount of food on his plate. He loaded it up with a variety of sausages, eggs, bread, butter, porridge, marmalade, and bacon. By the time she had finished her meal, the new student had already gone through 3 plates and 5 goblets of different drinks. A lot of the students had been watching him eat. He did have quite an appetite, after all.  
"Would you like me to show you to the Common Room? I have a few minutes before my class starts."  
"Of course." Gabby smiled at him.  
"Well come with me, then, and I'll show you the Common Room."  
"She'll show you more than that if you get her a drink!" Called a male voice from the table. Gabby rolled her eyes and began walking out. Gabby noticed him stop to look back at the table then sped up to catch up with Gabby. She was already out of the Great Hall and he caught up with her easily.  
"Who was that young man?"  
"Don't bother with him. He's bad news." She had attempted to keep her voice impassive, to no avail, but Jareth took the hint and dropped the conversation.  
Gabby led Jareth downward. The walls of the castle went from inviting to dark, cold and dreary. When Gabby stopped, it was in front of a large statue of a snake.  
"Pureblood." The snakes eyes flashed red and it hissed, opening up to a large sitting area. The Slytherin common room was a long, low-ceilinged, dungeon-like room filled with skulls and the like. There were high-backed chairs and a carved mantlepiece on the fireplace. The walls were rough stone and the lighting in the room was green. "The 6th year boys' dormitories are that way." She pointed vaguely in the left direction. "It has a sign on it. You should find all of your belongings in there already." She looked at the time and sighed. "I'm going to be late. How would you like to meet in front of the lake in two hours?"  
"Whatever will work for you, Gabby." His voice sounded alluring, like he was singing and Gabby shivered at the sound.  
"Well, alright, I'll see you then." She blushed and left the Common Room with her bag. Time seemed to pass slowly. She took notes from class and she wrote the homework out. Next she had to go to Double Potions, which wasn't what she really wanted, considering Jareth was probably still in the Common Room being flirted with by every Slytherin slut they had (and there were a lot). She wasn't sure why she was so bent out of shape about it, Jareth never implied that they were anything. In fact, he was probably only hanging out with her because he'd met her before. Once he met the other Slytherins, she was sure that he would forget all about Gabby. She had to remain grounded.

.::.

"Miss Torres, would you please tell the class about the herb 'Belladona?'" Gabby looked through her notes until she found it.  
"Belladona, also known as Deadly Nightshade, is a poisonous rootstock. It has purple bell shaped flowers and is a fruiting plant in the form of green berries that ripen to a shiny black. The berries are sweet and are often consumed by wild animals, even though it's poisonous. Belladonna is one of the most toxic plants found in the Western hemisphere. The berries pose the greatest danger to children because they look attractive and have a somewhat sweet taste. The consumption of two to five berries by children and ten to twenty berries by adults can be lethal. The root of the plant is generally the most toxic part, though this can vary from one specimen to another. Ingestion of a single leaf of the plant can be fatal to an adult. It's magical properties include aid in flying and anointing brooms. So really, unless you're a Quidditch player, there's really no effective use for it." Professor Sprout clapped.  
"Very good, Miss Torres. Now. homework for today. Write a 12.5 inch long essay on a plant that will help you in your chosen career field. It could be one or many. This is your essay. All other guidelines are to be followed. Class dismissed!" Gabby grabbed her things and headed straight for the Great Hall.  
"12.5 inches long, what the heck is that woman thinking?"  
She sighed aloud and sat in an empty seat. She thought the shunning would end soon, like it usually did. Gabby would do something to make everyone love her again and that would be the end of it. She never factored Jareth into that setting though. Now the new "it" boy was Jareth, and she just happened to be the center of his attention. This setting was familiar; the hottest guy in school decides to take Gabby into his world, they fall in love, have sex, and then he dumps her and makes himself the victim. Now that she was thinking about it, that must be the reason that Jareth was talking to her. Well, she wasn't falling for it again. That was when she vaguely noticed a commanding presence taking an empty seat beside her. She looked next to her and saw Jareth next to her. "Speak of the devil..." She muttered to herself.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about you."  
"Well...I'm flattered?" Gabby cracked a smile.  
"I was just wondering if you would be making it to lunch alright by yourself."  
"Well, I thank you for your concern but I'm very observant about my surroundings and I found my way fairly easily."  
"I'm glad to hear it. Have you made some friends yet?"  
"Well, I seem to have captured the attention of some of the other students, but I wouldn't say I've made any friends."  
"I'm sorry to hear that."  
"When will we be going on our tour?"  
"I have Double Potions from 2-4 and then Advanced Transfiguration at 5. I'll be back by dinner time and we can stay out on the grounds until 9:00 tonight. So does dinner and a tour sound ok?"  
"Whatever works best for you, Gabby." Gabby smiled slightly. The table was full by now and Gabby added some food to her plate. It was already 12:30 and she didn't have much time for breakfast. She took out her Herbology textbook and began working on the assigned homework.  
"12.5 inches..." She sighed and began flipping through her textbook. She didn't have another Herbology class this week but it would take all week to finish this essay. Not only did she have to decide which career field she was choosing, but she also had to do research on the many plants that could possibly relate to said career.  
"12.5 inches of what?" Jareth asked curiously.  
"Hn? Oh, my Herbology essay. I need to write an essay that's 12.5 inches long and it's due by next week."  
"And what does it relate to?"  
"A plant that will help you in your chosen career field."  
"And what plant would that be?"  
"I have no idea. I want to be both an Auror and a Healer. healers use a plethora of different plants in their potions and such so it's difficult to say. Same with Aurors. It doesn't seem like it, but there are many potions and spells that Aurors have to know in their field. It's more than fighting off bad guys."  
"I see." Gabby nodded and began flipping through the tables of contents.  
"I might need more than just this simple reference to finish this essay."  
"Such as?"  
"I've been here for 6 years and have done a lot of research over time but many different sources and I've come up with a compendium of plants, magical and mundane, that are found both in the wizarding world and muggle. I've also come up with a spell compendium, dark creatures compendium, etc."  
"You're a diligent young lady."  
"Not really, I just had more time on my hands than most students. But I've since gotten busier and haven't really updated them."  
"I know the feeling." Gabby smiled and put her textbook away.  
"Well, I guess I have a reason to pull it out again." Jareth nodded and started on his second plate of food. "Quite the appetite."  
"I have my reasons." Jareth left the conversation hang there and Gabby nodded and finished her lunch. "Leaving so soon?"  
"Yeah. I'm going to go to my dormitory and look through my notes. I still have time before Double Potions so I think I'll compare all of my class notes to it and start updating it." Jareth nodded and continued eating his food. He would have gone with her but he was feeling weak again. The day continued on uneventfully. Gabby went about her classes and realized that her compendium was 3 years outdated so she located all of her notes from back then (or as many as she could find) and worked on updating it throughout lunch while she was in her potions classroom. She finished out her classes and went back to the dorm where she assumed Jareth was waiting for her. She sighed. "Pureblood." She tossed her bag to the floor as she sat down on the couch. A few minutes later, Jareth had come down from the dormitory and sat down next to her. "Ready?" Gabby asked him.  
"I am ready whenever you are."  
"Good. Let's go get some food for now." Jareth stood up then helped her up. Gabby took his hand and smiled. "Thank you."  
"It's my pleasure." He and Gabby walked to the Great Hall and Gabby took a seat at the end of the table. She could feel the glares from the rest of the table as Jareth took a seat next to her. She sighed and shook her head.  
"Should of expected this." She mumbled. Jareth didn't say anything. Once the food appeared on the table, he began piling it on his plate. He was wondering when his father would send him some food. On his plate now, however was roast beef, lamb chops, pork chops, a couple of ham sandwiches, fried sausages, and some Yorkshire Pudding. He stole a glance at Gabby who had Roast Chicken, lamb chops, Cornish pasties, black pudding, and a bowl of stew. Much more, he noted, than breakfast this morning. In fact, he noticed that everyone had eaten more at dinner than breakfast. He, on the other hand, had eaten a lot less. It interested him how much different he was from these mortals. He and Gabby both reached for a bright orange liquid that wasn't orange juice. That had taken him by surprise this morning when he had reached for orange juice and grabbed something else entirely that tasted vaguely like pumpkins. He let go of the juice and Gabby accepted it. Once she poured it, she handed it to him. He thanked her with a nod of his head and they both ate their dinner.

After dinner was finished the two walked out of the Great hall. Much of Slytherin was still socializing at the table so Gabby didn't have to worry about staying quiet.  
"So. Let's see your schedule." She looked over the classes, then cocked her head to the side and pulled out her planner. She had all of her classes for the term written down in her planner. When she looked it over and compared it to Jareth's, she shook her head and handed his schedule to him. "What the heck are they thinking?" She said to herself.  
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."  
"Your schedule is exactly the same as mine."  
"I don't understand. Are all classes the same?"  
"No. After year 3 or 4 we take classes according to what we want for a future career field. After year 3, no two schedules are exactly the same. What were you planning on doing with your life after school?"  
"That is my secret." Jareth said. Gabby rolled her eyes.  
"Of course it is." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "As if I need another reason to stand out from my house." She shook her head. "Well, in that case, we'll work on the classes tour tomorrow since classes are over for the day."  
"As you wish." Gabby blushed.  
"Is there anything else you'd like to see?"  
"Only what you feel I should see." Gabby nodded and took him on a tour of the grounds. She took him on a tour of the grounds which were not as vast as they seemed.  
"So, here are the greenhouses. This is where we'll have all of our Herbology classes. It's also where you can get most of the ingredients that you need for Potions. It's free, which is helpful, rather than going to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley to refill our ingredients. They have an area of common plants required for potions, specifically for students. We won't have another Herbology class until next week. You have all of your supplies for school, right?" Jareth nodded. Surprisingly, King Oberon gave him some basic supplies for his classes. "Alright, then lets move on." Next Gabby led him to the Care of Magical Creatures class. "This is Care of Magical Creatures. You don't need to worry about this since you won't be taking it. But if you want to look around, feel free."  
"No, thank you. If I won't be taking the class then it's irrelevant." Gabby shrugged.  
"Suit yourself."  
"Next up is the Quidditch Pitch. You'd know all about Quidditch, of course, but it's much more interesting when people are actually doing stuff." In all actuality, Jareth knew absolutely nothing about this 'Quidditch' and made a mental note to take a trip to the library to research it. Gabby led Jareth to the Black Lake. A smile crossed her face when they approached and Jareth wasn't about to let it slide.  
"Good memories?"  
"Something like that.." Gabby said, blushing. Gabby took off her shoes and socks and hiked her skirt up just enough that it wouldn't drag in the water, then put her feet into it. "Have you heard about the rumor of the giant squid?"  
"The...I'm...sorry?"  
"Ah, so the rumor hasn't made it back to you yet. Well, there's a Giant Squid that lives in this lake-"  
"Impossible."  
"Ah, ah, ah.?" She wagged her finger at Jareth. "You shouldn't take life with a grain of salt, especially Hogwarts, because in Hogwarts, everything is possible, and nothing is what it seems." The phrase tugged at one of Jareth's hearts strings and made him homesick for his kingdom.  
"So you can't take anything for granted..."  
"...yeah...Jareth, did I say something wrong...?"  
"Oh, no, I apologize, please continue with your story." Gabby nodded and continued.  
"Well, the Giant Squid has been here for as long as the oldest person at this school can remember. That person being the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, and no one knows how old he -actually- is. But he's sure that the Giant Squid has been here for a lot longer than how old he is. Rumor has it, the Giant Squid is the animagus of one of the four founders, Godric Gryffindor. I've asked Professor Dumbledore about it, and he's neither confirmed, nor denied it. But I'm 100% sure that he is. I mean, why else would a Giant Squid be guarding the Black Lake?"  
"But...wouldn't he want to change back into a human once in awhile?"  
"Well, some students say they've seen him walking the grounds at night, but I've snuck out plenty of times and have never seen it, myself, so I don't know." She shrugged and then whistled. The once peaceful lake was disrupted and long, gigantic tentacles appeared from beneath it. Gabby smiled and a tentacle settled down next to her. "Hello Professor!"  
"Professor?"  
"Well, when Hogwarts was founded there were only 4 teachers, he was one of them." She turned her attention to the center of the lake. "When are you going to transform again? I want to be there to see it!" The tentacle next to her shook and Gabby rolled her eyes. "That's -always- his reply." Jareth chuckled and shook his head.  
"Perhaps he just enjoys watching you guess." Gabby shrugged. "Maybe. But I don't have much longer at Hogwarts, I'm graduating next year, and I want to see him transform at least once before I leave this place." Gabby laid back on the grass with her feet still in the lake. The Giant Squid went back under the water and Gabby sighed. "Curfew will be enacted soon so we'd better finish the tour."  
"As you wish." Gabby stood up and put her socks and shoes back on the pulled down her skirt.  
"We have one more place to see." She walked back toward the Care of Magical Creatures classroom and toward a forest. "This is the Forbidden Forest. Much as its name suggests, it's completely off limits to students unless there's a professor with them. That doesn't stop troublemakers from sneaking into it though."  
"Have you ever been inside?"  
"Of course. I don't know if there's a student my age who hasn't been inside it at least once." Then she stopped. "You haven't, have you?" Jareth shook his head. "Well, want to see?" She smirked and began walking into the forest. Jareth followed behind, but if something should happen, Jareth wasn't sure if he would be able to use his magic to protect the foolish girl and he hoped that if she took all of these advanced classes, then she'd know at least some sort of protection magic. Gabby didn't take him very far in. Only idiots went really far in and usually ended up in the Hospital Wing mangled and expelled. "Creepy, huh?" Gabby said, out of nowhere. The trees were thick and did not let very much moonlight into the forest so Jareth was having a difficult time making out her face, but he was sure there was satisfaction in her eyes. Jareth simply shrugged.  
"I expected something to happen." Gabby shrugged, well, let's head back, shall we? She flicked her wand. "Lumos." A bright light shone out of her wand and Jareth could have sworn he saw creatures jump back at the light. Perhaps something would have happened had the girl not lit her wand. He wasn't sure if that was smart or foolish, but he followed her as she left the forest and put out her wand once they arrived back on the grounds. "Well, what do you think of the school?" Jareth shrugged.  
"I think it's late and we should be studying. Would you like to join me?"  
"Sure, why not? What did Professor McGonagall say about your homework? Since you missed your classes today, not a fault of your own, will you be held accountable for the homework for the classes?"  
"She mentioned that she would not make me catch up on all of the missed homework from before my registration went through. Considering my registration went through this morning but I didn't get my class schedule until this evening, I'm going to assume that I need to do the homework anyway." Gabby nodded.  
"Alright, well, you can catch up to the lessons by reading my notes for the classes. I'll be working on my Transfiguration assignment, it's due tomorrow. You can begin working on yours as well, once you've caught up on your notes. Jareth nodded and they walked back to the Common Room. Once they arrived, Gabby picked up her bag and took out all of her notes and handed them to him. "Good luck, you'll need it."  
"I appreciate it." Gabby smiled and settled into her usual spot by the fireplace, Jareth sat down next to her. Gabby could sense the air becoming heavy again and she sighed. She tried her best to work on her homework and ignore the glares from the female students in her house. Draco was nowhere in sight, thankfully, because dealing with him would be a lot worse. She continued working on her homework, answering questions from Jareth when he needed help, but she didn't really say anything else until they were the only two left in the common room.  
"Finally..." She set her quill down and moved the wet parchment aside to let it dry then laid her head on the table.  
"Finished?"  
"No way."  
"Then what are you relieved about?"  
"All those girls are finally gone. We're finally alone."  
"Well, Gabby, I'm flattered but-"  
"Not like that, idiot. Do you honestly not notice how they think you're the hottest guy in school and hate me for hanging out with you?"  
"Of course I noticed." Gabby shook her head and laid it back on the table.  
"Look, if you would rather hang out with other students then feel free. Less crap that I have to deal with from the other students."  
"What makes you say that? I can...hang out...with anyone I choose to. Do you not think that there might be a reason that I'm spending my time with you instead of others?" Gabby thought for a moment.  
"Nope, not really."  
"You obviously do not know me well."  
"Obviously."  
"All the more reason to grace you with my presence, then." Gabby rolled her eyes.  
"In that case, would it be alright if I played some music?"  
"Please, feel free, I love music." Gabby nodded. She took a little circular charm from her necklace and flicked her wand.  
"Engorgio." She put her wand away and set the ball on the table. Out of nowhere it began playing "Ziggy Stardust" by David Bowie.  
"David Bowie?"  
"Yup."  
"You have good taste."  
"Thank you."  
"What is that thing, anyway?"  
"I'm not sure. It's the only one I've seen of its kind. Basically its a music player that plays music according to the users moods or feelings."  
"Ziggy Stardust is an interesting interpretation of that. Is that how you feel currently?"  
"I guess so."  
"You're not sure."  
"My moods change periodically."  
"I've noticed. May I try?" Gabby nodded.  
"Just pick it up. It'll recognize that you're a different person and alter it's playlist according to that." Jareth did as he was told. Ziggy Stardust finished playing and a different song started playing."  
"That's...not one of mine. I guess it worked." Jareth put the little ball down and nodded. "Who is that? It sounds like David Bowie but I know it isn't. I have all of his CDs."  
"It's me."  
"You? I didn't know that you could sing!"  
"I never kept it from you, you simply never asked."  
"Wow...that's...amazing. You sound exactly like him!"  
"I'm flattered." The song ended and a different song started playing.  
"You have an interesting taste in music, yourself." Jareth nodded. Gabby looked over at his homework. He was about finished with the Transfiguration homework. Gabby had already finished and was waiting for him to catch up. When Jareth was done with his Transfiguration essay, Gabby took out her Compendium of Plants and put it in the center of the table. They didn't have Potions again until next Wednesday so she wasn't too terribly concerned about it yet. "I still can't decide what plant to put my focus on for this essay."  
"Do you have to focus on only one?"  
"Well, I guess not."  
"So go on with your research and narrow it down to a few different plants for each career field."  
"We'll see." Gabby said dejectedly. "I'll be back. Need to get a few more books from my room. She ran up the stairs and took a few books off of her bookshelf. That other girls were fast asleep and didn't notice the light emanating from Gabby's wand as she grabbed 4 more books filled with different plants then went back downstairs.  
"Well you're prepared, I see."  
"Yeah, sometimes I wonder why I was put into Slytherin and not Ravenclaw." She shrugged. "But the sorting hat is always right, I guess." Jareth observed Gabby flipping through the compendium, and 5 different books. "Are you always this thorough?" Gabby shook her head.  
"Nope. Actually I don't know why I care so much about this particular essay. I hate this class." They continued talking throughout the evening. By 1:00am, they were both really tired and decided to call it a night.  
"We should do this again." Gabby rolled her eyes.  
"I'll see if I can pencil you in. My life is about to get hectic." Jareth laughed. "I wish I was joking." She handed him her day planner and Jareth looked through it. He began chuckling at her commentary and Gabby smiled a bit.  
"Well," He pulled out a quill and turned to the following week. "Here, and...here." He handed the planner back to Gabby. "There, I did it for you. Enjoy." Gabby smiled and took the planner.  
"Thanks."  
"It seems like the only time we'll get to hang out together is if I follow you to work."  
"I would hardly call that hanging out. it's more like you following me around while I work. That will get me in trouble."  
"As you wish. I'll simply stalk you outside of work." Gabby laughed slightly and smiled.  
"Well, goodnight Jareth." She gathered up all of her books and dragged herself up the stairs for some sleep.

* * *

Author Notes: I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. If you guys are still reading this, thank you for being loyal readers! I'm doing my best so I uploaded an extra long one for you guys!

The sorting hat song: I made it up by combing lines from previous songs.  
David Bowie is obviously not the Goblin King. In this world, they're separate beings. The movie "The Labyrinth" is non-existent right now, just the book.  
The song that played was "Magic Dance."


	6. The Dark Side of the Moon (songficish)

.::. Jareth's P.O.V. .::.

The girl intrigued him, but so did that boy, what did Gabriela call him? Draco Malfoy? Yes, something like that. It was clear that the two had history with one another. It seemed that Jareth would need to investigate to find out more about it. But what Gabriela said to him in the Common Room did have some merit; he was considered the "most handsome guy in school" now; he was sure one of the other girls could tell him more because it was clear that Gabriela wouldn't. But for now, he was tired. Begrudgingly, he lay down on his new bed. It was insulting, really. How dare they take away his sleeping quarters and place him in a common dormitory with other students? Perhaps he could appeal to his father about getting his own room here. He was sure he could make up something if necessary. Until he had the time, however, he needed to go through it. For tomorrow was the true beginning of his new "school life." The thought of it simply made him gag. But he fell asleep instantly the moment his head hit his pillow.

.::. The Next Day .::.

Gabby had awoken, feeling lethargic at best. She had woken up well before the other students; it was her body's way of telling her that something was wrong. It's true that Gabby had been neglecting her exercise lately. Maybe she had gained weight (something that her body was very sensitive to), or maybe it was her body telling her it was time to get back into gear. But she was so tired; her classes and her job were running her ragged and between classes, homework, and work, she just didn't have the time or energy for anything more than sleeping. She sighed anyway and changed into her jogging pants, tennis shoes, sports bra, and exercise shirt. She would end up taking it off later anyway, but for now, it was cold outside. Spring had come, but the grounds were back to looking dark and dreary. When she looked at the time, it was 4:30 in the morning. She grumbled a few choice words to her body for making her wake up so ridiculously early and made her way to the school grounds and out to the Quidditch Pitch. She hadn't gotten to bed until around 2:30am and she was exhausted. She had three hours to exercise. It seemed like a long time to some, but it wasn't enough for Gabby, who was used to intense 4-5 hour trainings. Once she was at the Quidditch Pitch, she took off her shirt and tossed it aside. It was really cold now but she was going to get really hot later. She sat crossed legged on the ground and began to breathe. Her master taught her that the very best warm up was meditation. So she began to breathe, and once she was breathing evenly, she began to clear her mind. A true thorough meditation would have to wait until she actually had time to do it, but today the best meditation would be to repress her thoughts, not sort through them.

Once her mind was satisfactorily cleared, she slowly came out of her meditation. It had been a half hour by the time she was fully aware of her surroundings. Then she got up to stretch and pulled out her music crystal. Since the crystal knew what her objective is, it played her exercise playlist immediately. Gabby remembered the spell that her master had taught her when she'd gone off to Hogwarts. There was no one else to spar with here, and he didn't want her to slack off with her training. It was a simple, but dangerous spell. With it, she could use her shadow to spar with. But the catch was that the shadow was always 10% stronger than its opponent; meaning that if someone stronger than her were to step in, the shadow would adapt to the new opponent and become even stronger than both Gabby and the other opponent combined. That was why Gabby always made sure she was alone when she used the spell. 10% wasn't a lot to her, but if someone more powerful than her tried to jump in, the shadow wouldn't just attack the opponent. It would attack Gabby as well, virtually leaving Gabby useless. The only way to stop it would be if the other person knew how to fight; if not, the both would be in a lot of danger. Gabby took a deep breath. First, she would need to enlarge her sais. She knew that weapons weren't allowed on school grounds, so she had found a way to smuggle them onto the school. She took a charm off of her charm necklace and enlarged it to reveal two 21.5 inch sais and their sheaths. She hooked the sheaths to her jogging pants and set the sais in them. Her body was tingling against the cold air and she needed to get to her training. She flicked her wand and muttered a spell, and her own shadow detached itself and began to solidify in front of her. She quickly tied her wand up into her hair; after all, this was a physical fight, the magic was just a last resort. So she needed to make sure the shadow didn't make a wand its first weapon. Then a song began to play on her music crystal. She went into a defensive position and waited for the shadow to materialize.

_Tranquil as a forest, but on fire within. Once you find your center, you are sure to win. You're a spineless, pale pathetic lot and you haven't got a clue._

The shadow finished materializing and lunged at Gabby, who dodged the blow. Losing its balance, the shadow fell to the ground. Gabby smirked even when the shadow got back to its feet.

_We must be swift as the coursing river with all the force of a great typhoon. With all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon._

She punched at the shadow who dodged her punches and stuck out its foot to trip her. Gabby fell on her bum but caught herself with her hands and crescent kicked the shadow from the ground. With the shadow momentarily startled, she pushed herself back up and kicked it in its stomach. The shadow fell to the ground once more. Gabby had knocked it down twice now so she knew the shadow would be getting difficult soon. Gabby kept her body moving while the shadow pushed itself back up. Immediately the shadow materialized a pair of sai that matched her own. "So it begins." She muttered to herself. She unsheathed her own sais and blocked a sneak attack from the shadow. Her training time was coming to a close and she really needed to wrap this up before breakfast. She dodged an attack from the shadow and began to parry at the shadow with one sai and blocked with her other one. Gabby didn't notice as a boy with long blonde hair and two different colored eyes began to approach her and the shadowy opponent. Before she knew it, masculine body blocked a potentially painful blow from the shadow. Gabby could feel her shadow's great increase in strength. Her eyes grew wide as the shadow attacked Jareth.

"Oh no…Jareth, what've you done?!" Jareth seemed to notice the power surge as well. But not only had the shadow grown more powerful, it had also taken the shape of Jareth. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit! I can't stop this thing!" The shadow focused its attention to Gabby who couldn't do anything except dodge its attacks. When Jareth noticed the shadow's change of pace, he realized that he may have done something wrong.  
"What the bloody hell is this thing?" Gabby was hit by the shadow and violently knocked to the ground.  
"Forget it! Just fight the thing and win! Otherwise it'll keep attacking!" Jareth was surprised at Gabby's tone. But he attacked the shadow creature anyway. When Gabby's head was turned away, Jareth looked at the shadow creature and waved his hand. The shadow dematerialized and took its place beside Gabby. Jareth hadn't noticed until that moment that even though the sun was out a bit, Gabby didn't cast a shadow. He helped her up and Gabby groaned painfully. "Ow…" She slumped against Jareth momentarily but jumped back when she had regained her bearings. "Are you insane? What were you thinking, jumping in like that? And how the hell did you get so strong! That thing could have killed me!" She continued to berate Jareth who finally rolled his eyes and covered her mouth with his hand.  
"Are you quite finished?" Gabby was taken aback.  
"No, I'm _not quite_ finished!"  
"Perhaps if you calm down and explain to me what you were doing, I could actually see why I'm being scolded. From my point of view, a lady was being attacked by a strange creature so I stepped in!" His patience was wearing thin. He had used his magic to return Gabby's shadow back to normal, and he was feeling weak. He wanted to get back into the castle and eat.  
"It's none of your business! From now on, when I'm training, stay out of it!" She collected her shirt and shrunk her sais and sheaths then reattached them to her necklace; she did the same with the music crystal then put on her shirt and angrily stomped back to the castle. Jareth sighed and followed her; at least she was going back. He would ask her again when she calmed down. He had never seen magic such as that before. When he saw her walk past the Great Hall, he called her.  
"Aren't you going to have breakfast?" Gabby turned to him, still really angry with him.  
"No! I don't have time, I have to go shower so I don't stink for my classes!" She turned with a huff and stomped away again.


End file.
